West Sussex · London and the South East
Small Dole Chimney Survey
Find out what’s going on with the chimney stack before you spend money on it. We carry out chimney surveys in Small Dole, with photos and a clear written report.
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Worn or missing pointing
How it works
Where it is relevant and can be reached safely, the loft space is checked as well as the outside. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging. The whole visit typically takes roughly 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Around Small Dole, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so let us know about the loft hatch and any ladder. Only areas that can be reached safely are inspected.
- You let us know whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- We look at the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Getting ready for the survey
- Let us know about parking before the day
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
Arrange a survey
You can call us seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Read more
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Small Dole
For buyers, a chimney survey before exchange can flag work you may want to raise. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. We survey chimney pots and cowls, flaunching and lead flashings, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are pots or cowls that look unsafe and staining on walls around the chimney.
Some older homes in villages like Small Dole are listed or in a conservation area. If yours is, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so the council is the place to check. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Older materials like clay tiles, slate and stone are frequently matched when work is done.
Report times depend on the survey you book: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Place
- Small Dole (BN5)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Prices for chimney surveys in Small Dole
Prices always include VAT. What changes the price is:
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- Height and safe access
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- How big the roof is
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Prices start from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
Getting in touch
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- When you need the report by
- What made you get in touch
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, and you can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form to find out.
Your questions about chimney surveys in Small Dole
Is Small Dole within the area you cover?
Yes. Small Dole is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
I let a flat near Shoreham-By-Sea station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, that’s a common request. We just need to know who will give access, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. We look at the roof, not the whole building, and it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It can sit alongside a RICS survey if you want both.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We point out what can be seen, such as sagging or deflection, but we don’t carry out calculations or give an engineer’s opinion. Where an engineer is needed, we say so in the report.
How much is a survey?
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. You’ll know the price for your survey before booking. To get a price, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Do you need to get into the loft?
Yes, where the survey calls for it and there’s safe access. Inside, we look for damp, staining, gaps and sagging, as far as the space allows.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, if whoever owns or manages the building agrees access. On a shared roof we can only inspect the parts we’re allowed to reach, and the report makes that clear.
Local roofs in Small Dole
The coast is about 5 miles or less from Small Dole, so there’s more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces. About 4.8 miles south-east lies Portslade Manor, a reminder of how long the area around Small Dole has been built on. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
Homes near green spaces such as Tottington Wood can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching. Landlords with a home close to Shoreham-By-Sea station may find that a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Small Dole is about 5 miles north of Shoreham-by-Sea, in West Sussex. We cover Small Dole and the rest of West Sussex. Small Dole is one of the towns and villages in West Sussex where we work. We also survey roofs in Brighton.
Here we cover the BN5 postcode area for chimney surveys. Local streets include Downsview, Tottington Drive and Orchard Close, all of which we cover. We also cover Woodmancote (2 miles north-east), Henfield (2 miles north), Blackstone (2 miles north-east), Albourne (3 miles north-east) and High Cross (3 miles north-east). Larger places within reach include Crawley (15 miles north), Horsham (11 miles north), Worthing (8 miles south-west), Haywards Heath (10 miles north-east), Burgess Hill (7 miles north-east) and Littlehampton (13 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Small Dole
Typical jobs here are in homes near Tottington Wood and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Shoreham-By-Sea station, about 4.8 miles south of the centre. Nearby you will also find Southlands Hospital (4.4 miles south) and Steyning Museum (2.6 miles south-west). For a walk, there’s Woods Mill and Truleigh Hill.
What we look for on each type of roof
Rendered stacks
What’s behind the render can’t be seen without removing some, so the report says what can and can’t be judged.
Brick stacks
Many older stacks were built with lime mortar. We note where repairs should match the original mortar.
Before and after the survey
Most of what helps is simple and safe from the ground. A few suggestions:
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
Questions about the findings are always welcome. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Make sure fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.
What we can’t see
To be straight with you, there are limits to any roof survey:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Whether the flue is safe to use
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will tell you. The full list of what we check.
What we check
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Nearby places to Small Dole
More services for Small Dole
For landlords and managing agents
Where a roof is shared: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you contact us and we’ll plan the visit with that in mind.
Landlords, agents and building managers in Small Dole and across West Sussex can book any of our surveys. For a price for a let property or a block, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.